Wicked Games
by MakeshiftTRIX
Summary: If he could, he would start all over. Deny her everything, give nothing of himself, and move on with his life. Then again, looking back on it. . .He wouldn't have the heart to change it for anything. M for mature situations, soon to come violence, and sexual content. LeonxAda and a few other characters from the game.
1. Prologue Waking Up is the Hardest Part

Prologue: Waking Up is the Hardest Part

In the darkness, there was nothing but the loud ringing of distressed eardrums that shrieked within Leon's head. Nothing but a disoriented subconscious that fought for its bearings on reality as it slowly slipped into the chaos of the explosion. He couldn't see anything and when his vision didn't return within a number of seconds, he feared he would have to blindly fight for his survival against whatever caused the sabotage to main office of HQ. A condition not even he was equipped to handle.

Thankfully, the darkness began to fade into a blurry mess of a scene of a gray ash that fluttered down onto the dust-covered tiles that laid cold beneath him. He still couldn't make out the details of his surroundings, but at least he had one of his better senses working. Above him shined a luminous florescent light that he was surprised was still in tact from such an impact. But it was and it was glaring straight into his sensitive eyes. Slowly he sat up, his body protesting with the sting of pain in every fiber of his figure. He groaned and fought at the heaviness that continued to try and force him back down. Once he was up on his elbows he examined the large hole in the concrete wall as his eyes continued to focus.

The scene was disastrous with concrete debris scattered along the floor along with half burned papers and files tossed around the square office. There was even splatters of blood along the walls, and the body of a familiar blonde officer lying lifeless beside him with green eyes that stared vapidly up at him. He didn't move, not an inch could be motivated from him. His body froze upon seeing the officer so dormant on the floor. A subtly sting of pain arose in him as he stared down at her, wondering what caused her death and who was responsible for it.

Beat of his heart was skipped upon hearing the faint sound of heels clicking against the linoleum. His piercing blue eyes ventured towards the source of the sound that seemed to be hidden within the fog of the ash that coated the room heavily. Leon placed his hand on the pistol that he knew was always attached to his hip and quickly removed it from the holster. He inhaled deeply to slow his heart rate, knowing that his panic would only ruin his aim. Calmly, with a heaving chest he took the pistol off of it's safety and lifted his straightened arm up, just enough for him to see down the red labeled sights. The sound of heels grew louder, and figure dressed in all red seem to come into his view. Before long, Leon could make out the curvy body of the raven-haired mercenary that came striding into the room. Upon seeing the woman dressed in her long red gown with golden butterflies dancing across her thigh and around her torso, he lowered his gun to his side. It had been a long time since he had seen her dressed so formal in a situation such as this. Everything was the same as when it was when they were still young. There was a black lace wrapped snug around her throat and a long slit up the side of her dress that revealed her bare skin of her leg and a holstered gun strapped against her thigh. Her caramel eyes penetrated his with a cold glare that was strangely paired with a seductive grin that graced pallid features.

"Ada?" he managed to say breathlessly.

"What are you doing here?" he continued. The assassin didn't utter a single word, and simply continued towards him. He remained still despite the uneasiness from her presence, and once she towered over him she made her way down to the floor. Gracefully she swung her leg over him and gently placed herself against his hips. She straddled his figure and continued to stare down at him, her smile fading somewhere along the way. Leon shook his head in disbelief.

"Don't tell me, you did – "

Leon was silenced by her slender index finger that she swiftly placed against his lips. The scent of her jasmine perfume gracing his senses and riding the smell of burnt flesh and dry wall from his nostrils. He stared into her frigid eyes longingly, still bewildered by the whole situation.

It wasn't until his eyes broke from her stare that he realized he was no longer in a stark destroyed office building. But in a room painted navy blue, lying comfortably on his back on a king sized bed dressed in black cotton sheets placed conventionally in the center of the room. They were in his bedroom, a place he preferred over anywhere else. It held memories that he cherished in his adult life, but it also carried his pain. A bewildered expression over took his usually moderate features as he tried to place meaning on the two locations he had shifted through. Nothing about it made sense, and being the agent he was, he felt the need to ponder the situation.

"Leon," Ada beckoned for his attention quietly. His eyes returned to the woman only to find her bare-skinned upon him, with a peaceful expression. His curiosity melted away as he stared at her with soft lustful blue orbs. Her body was just as mysterious and beautiful unclothed. Her curves, the softness and tone of her skin, and how she always returned that sweet expression.

Her body was so gracefully created to fit with his tattered anatomy in a manner no one else could be so lucky to know . The curve of her hips, the way the smooth surface of her skin grazed over his, down to the seductive nature displayed in her countenance. It all sent a shivering sensation through his body. The indentions of her femininely sculpted muscles, her breasts, her legs, the movement of her hands along his body. He could admire her body forever in the peaceful silence of the room, he could imagine everything that made him fall for her, over and over again. Her hips moving against him and the sound of her pleading moans that made his skin crawl. Her laugh, her half-hearted smile, her morbid sense of humor, even her appearance when she let her walls come down. It all came back to these moments when he could be with her, no distractions, no bullets, no blood, no tragic situations. When he looked down at her with her short hair scattered messily across his bed and met those vivacious caramel colored eyes, it made hearing her gasp his name with her nails trailing down his back be the most rewarding thing. It was everything to him.

There was ecstasy arising in his body, simply from seeing her this way, so vulnerable and trusting. The warmth between her soft legs pressed against his hips arousing all of his senses, and he suddenly couldn't handle their distance. Gently, he placed his right knee against the center of her back to keep her in her place while simultaneously sitting up to meet face to face. Within their close vicinity he inhaled her scent with a deep breath savoring it longingly. In response to him, she leaned her head against his as if weakened by his presence. They both lingered there, teasing each other with the small distance of their lips. Leon leaned in closer, her rosy lips grazing across his subtly, just enough for his senses to burn with anticipation. Unable to handle their game, he gave in and pressed his lips into hers. It wasn't rough or hurried, but nurturing. A hunger grew within him and for a second he could feel that same urgency in the way she returned the kiss. His fingers tangled through the black strands of her hair and in return she allowed him to pull her in closer to consume the heat that radiated from them.

But it was all short lived. Ada was the first one to break their kiss and bow her head. Leon could only furrow his brows into a confused yet disappointed look. Without warning her entire solid form began to tremble in a violently noticeable way. She was trying to hold back from sobbing and all at once that wall broke down to release a whimper from her lips. Suddenly alarmed, Leon brought his hand down to her thigh and rubbed his calloused thumb across it.

"What's wrong?" he asked, expecting the worst. Had he done something wrong? Was she doubting herself? He could handle either of those if the answers were yes. Yet, like a fool in love he couldn't leave it alone.

"Do you love me, Leon?" she finally gasped her head remained bowed.

"More than anything," he answered in low quiet voice with more puzzlement drawing in his features. She was silent again as she brought her hand to her face to wipe away the tears. Instinctively he began to comb her hair out of her face, but she still managed to stay hidden. She shook her head, more trembling accompanying the gesture.

" You have to wake up," she blurted out.

"What?" Leon asked almost in disbelief.

" I can't do this to you anymore. You have to let go," she explained.

Leon's face went stone cold as he realized exactly what was going on. He couldn't believe it, the idea of forgetting about her. No part of him wanted to do that. But when he noticed the crimson roll down her neck and onto her collar bone, he recognized it all to well. _Not this again_, he thought to himself.

" Please Ada," he begged in a barely audible voice. " I can't let you go. Just let me be with you, I don't care how." Everything began to make sense now, and he was well aware that the next events couldn't be stopped. Even though he knew that all too well, he couldn't suppress the need to fight for her.

Finally, Ada lifted her head and to his horror it was ending the way it always had. From her eyes, flooded deep crimson tears that drained down her cheeks and further down her body. Despite the haunting image of her face covered in blood, he still couldn't let it go.

" You have to wake up," she repeated and as her words finally reached him, he became more determined.

" Please," he answered her, begging desperately now.

She shook her head and once it registered further in his mind, blood began to seep from the pores of the walls. Even though the two of them were silent, it felt like the room was growing louder and louder with unearthly sounds. Within seconds, her blood had pooled on the black sheets and if he waited any longer he would drown in it and the blood of the victims that were on his hands. He had lost again, he couldn't keep her now. Not even for a moment longer.

Leon's eyelids flew open into a wide-eyed expression as they stared up at the ceiling. He shuddered upon awareness of the trembling cold sweat he was enduring. He didn't bother to move, he just swallowed the knot in his throat and expectantly moving his hand across the bed sheets beside him, hoping desperately that she would be lying unconscious in a deep slumber beside him. But to his disappointment, the space beside him was cold and empty giving him no comfort.

He glanced over at the alarm clock, the digital green numbers displaying that it was four o'clock in the morning. The agent hadn't even been asleep for an hour when he tried so hard to fall asleep in the first place. After all, he really needed the sleep tonight. There was no point in fighting the exhaustion, but unfortunately it wasn't him that was fighting it. Lately, his mind had been a cruel place to be. Everything he ever thought, dreamt, and imagined revolved around something he no longer had in reality. So like a monster feeding off of his agony, it searched for his desires in his sleep only to force him awake to conclude that his reality was emptier than the world in his mind. He had many dreams that revolved around Ada and death, but that one was recurring. It never started the same way, but it always managed to come to the same end. He didn't even care, it was the moment just before he watched Ada bleed out in his arms that he hoped for. There was a demented desire in him to have her in that way if only for a moment. Yet, he no longer knew if those dreams would hold him any longer. Once he awoke, it was like a tragic finish to a potentially blissful dream. The disappointment was beginning to become unbearable.

Getting out of bed was more painstaking that Leon had expected. The sheets like weights, his muscles like stone. Though his motivation was shot down several days ago, he was more afraid of possibly lying awake until dawn and being left with his thoughts. All he wanted was sleep, a silent motionless sleep were all he had were his dreams. He didn't give a damn how haunting they were, he just needed a sense of refuge somewhere.

Gradually, He removed the sheets from him and slowly let his feet touch the bitter cold of the wooden floor. For a moment, it felt like he couldn't breathe as if he never caught his breath after waking up. He inhaled deeply the phantom scent of Jasmine still lingering. He couldn't tell what worried him more, the fact that her scent had been burned into his sense or that quite possibly everything in this room had absorbed her scent with contentment. Finally, he stood from his bed and stumbled tiredly out of the bedroom. Down the hall and to the right was the kitchen, which he entered just as lethargically. His feet could give out at any moment, and just before he reached the counter and placed his hands firmly against the surface he feared he would have. Leon inhaled deeply and bowed his head in frustration with himself. He had never felt this horrible, and the worst part was is that it was his mind that was letting him do it. _You're pathetic_, he chastised himself brutally.

A quiet whimper arose from the silence as a long nose gently nudged against Leon's thigh. He looked down and met icy blue eyes of a black and white husky staring up at him with concern. The dog must have been watching Leon painfully, wondering why his master was up already. He may be an animal, but he was just as observant as any human. His expression of worry even resembled a human being. Leon placed his hand on the dog's head, the animal's tail responding to the contact.

"I'm sorry that you have to watch this, Shia," he apologized to the husky, whom strangely stopped wagging his tail upon hearing his master's tone of voice. Leon reached up and opened up the cabinet revealing the half empty whiskey bottle and the many painkillers that he had received from doctor's over the years. He stared at all the little orange bottles contemplating their affects on him. How they made the pain go away, but only for a moment. An idea popped in his head. One that wasn't new to his mind, but stronger than ever now. It almost buzzed in his head and made his palms sweat. This feeling he had in him, the sudden determination in eyes as he stared at all of those medications, knowing the exact outcome if he were to take too many and down them with alcohol. Abruptly, and rather aggressively, Leon grabbed several orange bottles without looking at the labels. It wouldn't matter what he overdosed on as long as they worked. He made his way, steadily now, to the living room where he sat on the leather couch, Shia following his heels. He began to place the bottles up and once empty handed he leaned over the couch to the side table, opening the drawer and pulling out a loaded pistol that he stored there in case he couldn't get to his other guns. He sat that down in uniform with the medications and the bottle of Jack. Shia's ears perked up, his head cocked to the side in curiosity. Yet, Leon ignored the dog not wanting to let in any of the outside world into his narrowed mind.

His eyes examined all four bottles everyday prescribed painkillers, and half full a prescription bottle of Prozac. He stared at all of them taking in the idea that they might be the only things that could finally put him to rest. And if that didn't go fast enough, he had his pistol at hand if he got really desperate. His goal was not to make a mess of the apartment, he was planning out his death he didn't want Helena or Sherry to find his brains scattered across the floor. It would be hard enough for them to know that he was pathetic enough to take his own life. To know that neither of them were enough to keep him here on this earth. The idea was one of them mourning his death worried him, and before it would have stopped him. But he knew he was in a place of no return when he had a inkling of not caring. He had made the decision. Now the only step left was to decide which bottle to down first.

* * *

**Well there's my prologue. I hope to continue actually writing this story ( if time allows), because I have a bunch of ideas. It's not my first AdaxLeon, but it is my second so I guess that's kind of monumental. . . .  
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**Tell me what you think, good or bad. I'm not sensitive and criticism never hurt anybody, so if it's terrible I want to know so I can make it better. And not to sound like I'm only writing for reviews or anything, but I would really like to know I have readers that enjoy it. Let's be honest, I'm not writing this for my health. XD Though, it would be really nice if writing had health benefits.**

**Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed it. If not, I don't do refunds. R/R**


	2. No Mercy

**Wow, it's been a month. . .maybe two. . .since I've updated. I'm sorry guys, I'll try to get these out a little quicker. No excuses. . . until finals come up. . . and when I have major projects. . . you know, college has a nice way of taking up all your time. Other than that, no excuses.**

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Chapter 1 : No Mercy

Headquarters had always been filled with a certain breed of tension, but today it seemed to thicken the air. The hallway were white, the tiles just as white as the walls, and the people just as bland as the décor. Everyone allowed to passed through the heavily guarded entrance of HQ was either BSAA, CDC, or a field agent and despite popular belief, agents weren't always fun-loving thrill-seekers. As a matter of fact, most of them were rather cold and closed-minded, and Helena was getting that a bitter chill from all the glares she was receiving.

First day back in the U.S., having just eliminated a huge threat to home-land security and the safety of other cultures, and she wasn't welcomed with opened arms. Only smug looks from the other agents that hung around aimlessly within the narrow hallways of the heart of HQ. At first, she acknowledged their stares, even reacted to their disgust with confusion written in her features wondering what they could possibly be disgusted about. Then she realized that even though the commission had relieved her of her crime, didn't mean that other agents approved of her freedom let alone her reinduction as a field agent.

Leon, whom was walking at a slightly faster pace than Helena, glanced over his shoulder to see her head bowed in attempt to mask her shame. There was no doubt in his mind that she was thinking long and hard about the last couple of months. After everything that had happened to her, he wouldn't expect that killing the man that ultimately caused the demise of her sister and other innocent people would ever ease the pain of that loss. The only difference now, was that she had so many people displaying their knowledge of her involvement and casting silent judgment in a way that she could clearly see. He slowed his pace to match hers, their arms practically grazing passed each other.

"Ignore them," he suggested in a low tone. Helena's eyes met his and it made sense why she was bowing her head. Her features were riddled with guilt, and there was even a faint glistening in her eyes. She shook her head and looked straight ahead trying to avoid his concerned look.

Leon had the urge to wrap his arm around her shoulders to comfort her, but reframed from doing so. Agents, especially former partners, didn't touch one another. That was twice as true for partners of different genders. There was code, a tight knit system between all of them. One did not get close to another agent, one did not comfort another agent, they were not friends, they were co-workers. Normally, Leon would disregard such a ridiculous "code", but he was already in enough trouble as it was. He didn't need rumors spread around about him having a relationship with the woman who ultimately caused the president's demise. And judging from their carefully watchful eyes, they were looking for excuses to rid of their personal pests from their sights. Like they deserved such pleasures.

Leon looked straight ahead as well, taking his own advice and ignoring prying eyes. " I know how you feel," he answered coldly.

" You managed to commit a mass killing among a university and kill the president and get away with it," She answered with a bitterness in her tone, like she couldn't believe that Leon could ever understand her pain. He had such a good heart, he would die before doing something like that. She knew that for sure.

A somber smile graced Leon's lips, something that didn't get passed Helena. His expression caused her to feel even worse about herself, she snapped at him when he was only trying to help. More regret filled in her heart. She watched him dreadfully as he noticeably went deep into his own thoughts, thinking back to when he was a rash young agent willing to do anything, reckless or not, to protect people with a cheeky comment always on his tongue. He wasn't sure if he missed that side of himself or not, he was a far more collected now. His maturity had definitely grown with time. Now, that he looked back on it, he hadn't been called to see his briefing officer as punishment since Spain.

Helena's apology was caught in her throat, and for some reason she couldn't find the words to explain how sorry she was for being so rude to him. At the same time, she wondered if he was even offended by her comment. She was even more confused when a genuine smile graced his features.

" A couple of years ago, I let a high profile assassin go free instead of bringing her in," he began. " I honestly didn't even try to catch her, and I could have I tried." He began, thinking back to Spain six years before now.

" You mean Ada, right?" Helena answered just as bitterly as before, and she wanted to kick herself for showing any animosity. Leon avoided looking at her, though he was slightly taken aback by her quick answer. Had he become that predictable? He sure as hell hoped not, because that would almost be a tragic getting old realization. He would definitely start missing his younger days if that were the case, he felt like one of the things he had going for him was the fact he was unpredictable by nature. Then again, Helena had spent the last couple of months with him. More time than anyone had in a long time. She watched him carefully, practically studied him as he had her. They had to in order to establish trust between them and make sure the others safety was promised as much as it could be in their line of work. But this past mission had brought out a lot of his demons that he had successfully suppressed up until recently. Because with age he was beginning to give up on hiding everything, he was getting tired of pretending. Helena just happened to be the person to have to witness it all.

" Yeah," he answered, mimicking Helena's tone which caused her features to soften. She was, after all, lashing out at him. Helena thought about the notorious Ada Wong. She's cold-blooded, the exact image of a femme fatale, no feelings, no care in the world, and one of the best mercenaries the world could offer. She wasn't a stranger to the rumors of the assassin. Their first run in with her fed into everything that Helena had ever heard, but the more and more they encountered her it was like everything she had ever heard were simply that. Well fabricated rumors. On several occasions Ada had come to rescue both agents from danger and perhaps even death. Of course it was all because Leon was involved. Had it been just Helena, she probably would have let her die rather she had the ability to help or not. But it didn't matter, her and her partner were alive because of that mysterious woman.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't try to arrest her then. We would have probably been dead otherwise," she paused there, a sting of jealousy in her words. How could someone just passing by be of more help to Leon than she could have been. Never mind the fact that everything he had to experience was due to her. _I put him in so much danger for selfish reasons and now he's getting punished for following me without order_s, she told herself as she bowed her head again feeling more guilt upon admitting that to herself. They wouldn't even be walking down this hallway receiving such threatening looks if it weren't for her.

"I'm sorry," Helena said softly under her breath, trying her damnedest not to cry. Everything she had done was flooding to her, and she couldn't help but feel hopeless. Upon hearing her whisper something, Leon looked at her taking a few moments to realize what exactly she said. Before Leon answered, they arrived at the door of his director's office and stopped in front of it. When she stopped beside him and sniffled as quietly as she could he turned to face her. He placed both of his hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her with distanced contact.

" I'm not here because of anything you did. I could have declined. I have a mind of my own you know, " he teased trying to comfort her. Helena smiled at his comment wiping the tears that were beginning to surface. He smiled back at her, causing her smile to get even bigger as she chuckled lightly. She didn't know why that was working so well, but she honestly was glad it was. His light-hearted nature became contagious to her. He always had a comment for everything, and sometimes it was hard to believe that anyone could ever take him seriously when it came down to it. Yet, she couldn't see how anyone wouldn't follow him into a burning building, he was a rather inspiring person. " You're far too nice to me, " she finally answered as she sniffled more.

"I tend to be when it comes to people I'm fond of." Her heart sank at that comment, but luckily he didn't stick around long enough to see that in her facial expresion. That was the last thing Leon said before opening the door and entering the office, quietly shutting the door behind him and leaving Helena alone in the hallway. Her smile disappeared, suddenly aware of the animosity in the air from bystanders. Her discomfort was obvious, which was what the others were hoping for. It showed they could break her down easier and that was good news to them. Helena tried to take Leon's advice and ignore them physically, but mentally she was giving them all of her attention. Slowly, she walked to the wall on the other side of the hallway and leaned her back against it for support. _Please hurry, Leon, _she thought to herself as she downcasted her eyes towards the floor.

Leon took long confident strides in the unusually large office. The room was dimly lit, a couple of lamps scattered around the room illuminated a bit of the neat, undecorated walls. There were no windows which made the room feel more like a prison, but the woman who sat at her desk lit up by a small lamp was as cantankerous as any prison warden. As always the woman in her mid-fifties kept her graying blonde hair slicked back in a tightly wrapped bun, her skin as pale as ever and her brown eyes that peered over the black rim of her glasses were just as dull as the room.

She glanced up at Leon, whom had stopped a few feet in front of her desk. "You're late, Mr. Kennedy," her diminishing voice announced before she went back to looking at the files scattered along the surface of her desk.

"Have you ever known me to be on time to these meetings we can't seem to avoid?" The director shot a glare up at him, a sign that she wasn't in the mood for his comments. She never was, but she surely wasn't going to stand for them today.

"May I proceed without your interruptions?"

" You have my word, Mrs. Denali" he answered devilishly as if to flatter the woman into a better mood which never worked, but it was an old habit he had held onto since he became an agent. There meeting wouldn't be the same otherwise.

The director paused for a moment as she looked back down at the files and began to open them to reveal some of its contents. Within seconds Leon realized that it was his file upon seeing a couple of pictures of him that he had first taken to be put on his badge. Granted seeing that picture was odd since he hadn't seen it for a while. He never carried a badge, because unfortunately yelling "I'm field agent Kennedy and I order you to stop" does nothing when you're being chased by zombies. What was even stranger is that he hadn't seen that file brought out since Spain. An indication that she was going to bring up old wounds. _Here we go, _he thought with a roll of his eyes.

The woman clasped her hands to together and gently placed them on top of all of the files. "Where should I begin?" she asked, not expecting him to answer which Leon caught onto. She shook her head in disappointment as she tried to organize her words in her head.

" You followed a possible terrorist without permission from the agency, you faked your death and went on a top secret mission without permission. You avoided arrest for six months, falsely accused or not that's still a crime. Worst of all, you put yourself in direct line of danger." He scoffed at that last part. When wasn't he in the direct line of danger, that was in fine print of the job description. He didn't voice that though, knowing that the fact that he interrupted with merely a sound had already ticked her off.

" I find it hard to believe that you find this funny, Mr. Kennedy." He grinned defiantly and took a couple of steps closer to the desk, leaning forward an firmly placing both hands on the edge. The director glared at him evilly, silently warning him to back away. Yet, he ignored it.

"That so called mass murder, is actually an agent now, because in the time we spent avoiding arrest we cleared our names and eliminated the real threat before he had time to destroy the rest of the world," he combated calmly. The director bowed her head, gaining her composure. While also realizing her defeat in the argument.

" I know, which is why the commission let Ms. Harper go free and become an agent in the first place. But we're not talking about what the commission thinks. We're not really even talking about Ms. Harper." The director glanced down at the files, inhaling deeply to calm herself down. Within that brief moment her eyes grew softer as they looked back up at Leon. There was actually a bit of nurture in her eyes, like she was dreading something for someone she actually cared about. That alone made Leon stand up straight and cross his arms over his chest.

"The agency doesn't know if they can trust you anymore, Mr. Kennedy."

Leon's brows furrowed as he absorbed her statement. He honestly never felt like he had their trust, not really. Of course, like well-trained businessmen they were they wore fabricated grins and killed you with kindness just enough to get you to do the dirty work. Their distrust had never stopped them from sending him into dangerous missions, sometimes with little to no help. The only reason that hearing it was so shocking was because, one it was said out loud and to his face. The second reason being, he always had Adam defending him, because he knew that Leon was one of the best. If he would have heard the same thing before the president's death, it wouldn't have been threatening at all. But now he had nothing to stand on.

Before Leon could open his mouth to defend himself further, or quarrel with the woman if he had to, the director raised her hand to silence him. Strangely, Leon complied.

"It's not what you did, it's what you didn't do," she beat him to the argument, ending it without question. With his silence, Mrs. Denali opened another file, it was considerably older and obviously looked over many times. The corners were slightly bent and the cease on the spine looked over used. The woman looked over the rim of her glasses at the papers. There was a lot of red ink on the pages, more than usual, which indicated that someone in the agency had gotten a hold of it. There were even lines crossed out in black ink over the original text. She looked up at Leon condescendingly, as if judging him based off of the red ink and everything about her went back to normal and all the sudden she was a bitter old woman again.

"First it was Spain and now this," she said closing the folder and tossing it to the side of her desk.

"I did my job in Spain. I saved Ashley Graham, I got her back with minimal injuries."

"Yes, but you hid the fact that you had contact with Ada Wong, which we had to find out from Ms. Graham, herself."

Upon hearing that name, Leon grew silent as like a child that knew he had done something wrong.

Mrs. Denali took his silence as a sign of guilt, something she wasn't a stranger to with Leon. She had seen that same look on his face for other reasons, even though those reasons were never really Leon's fault. That's what made all of this hard on her. She was aware he was a good man, even though she wouldn't know that from her experience with him.

" You didn't try to arrest her," she began.

"I had more important things to do," he lied.

"What about this time?"

He was silent again, and with that silence the woman took the chance to open up a fresh file. It had to be from the recent mission and again it was covered in red ink.

"The agency finds it odd that wherever you are, she is and she's always there to help you, isn't she?" the woman questioned as she threw more recent photos of Ada messily across her desk.

"Coincidence," he rebutted.

"That's what the agency believed for a while but they're starting to erase that from their considerations."

Leon's eyes went straight to the photos as he analyzed them carefully. Sure enough, they were taken in the last mission in China. How they finally got these photos of her was unknown, they never have had photos as clear as these before. He wasn't sure if they just got lucky with these or if Ada was being less cautious, and he hoped to god it was just luck.

"You have to understand that the President isn't around to protect you anymore. You're running out of important allies to defend your innocence." Leon looked back up at the director with distant eyes as if he was no longer in the room. He was deep in his own thoughts now, thinking about Adam and even more about Ada. Mrs. Denali took his silence as a sign of defeat, there was nothing to argue about anymore and they both were aware of that.

"With that said, after this meeting you must leave HQ, you're trial is on November the 22nd and that's when they will decide if-"

"Wait, you're suspending me?" Leon growled, not wasting time in coming back to the current situation.

The director looked over the rim of her glasses with less patience. "Don't think of it as a suspension, more like a break."

" And while I'm taking a break more bio terrorist attacks are popping up globally and people are dying," Leon argued, his eyes now alert and filled with rage.

"It's not up for negotiation Mr. Kennedy, don't worry we have other agents here to take your place for a while."

A look of defeat graced Leon's features, though he stood with confidence.

"You're dismissed."

* * *

" Leon, can you please tell me what happened?" Helena pleaded as she trailed behind the agent, her face riddled with bewilderment.

They had managed to make it all the way to Leon's car without him saying a word about the situation. Of course, Helena followed after him, making up for all the words he didn't say by continuously pestering him to tell her what happened. Yet annoyance wasn't going to make him talk about it. Partly out of sheer anger and not wanting to speak to anyone, and partly because he didn't want to admit that he had finally been tried by the agency board. He never thought it would ever come to this, as arrogant as that made him sound. Arrogance he was well aware he had acquired and now regretted ever giving into.

He quickly opened the door " Get in," was the first thing he had said to her in the last ten minutes and she did as told. Once in the car she sat with patience, staring at Leon expectantly. His eyes did not meet hers. He simply placed the key in the ignition and started the luxury dodge charger and let the engine purr as it came on. He didn't waste time throwing the car into reverse, backing from the parking space, and taking off down the isle. It happened so quickly, it forced Helena to slam against her seat hard enough to make her close her eyes to the impact to the back of her head. With a groan she opened her eyes and looked at Leon, now more irritated by his behavior. " Leon," she said in a tone that demanded his attention.

He didn't answer, which pissed her off more. She had the urge to hit him, but felt like that would only force him into further silence. This was a strange way for him to act, she had never seen him act this way. It concerned her just as much as it angered her. Though she was aware that he could be stubborn sometimes, and with that acknowledgment of that damn trait of his she laid back in her seat with arms crossed over her chest.

Leon glanced over at her once they had made it out of the gated parking lot, realizing that now he was being the one to take his anger out on her. He inhaled deeply as if gaining a little more of himself. It was hard to not be upset about this. Being an agent was all he knew. All he had ever been, other than a cop and that was only for a day. Even then he was basically volunteered to be an agent, and had been ever since. He had every right to be upset. There was more experience in his toes then there were in the entire board. They knew that. There was something wrong about all of this, and it made Leon think there was more to all of this. He found it strange that they accepted Helena, but denied him. Then again his instinct told him is was less about him and Helena, and more about him and Ada. Then again, he still felt like that was wrong. He just couldn't put his finger on it. But that gave him no right to be upset with Helena, after all he did ensure her before all of this that it wasn't her fault. He hoped that he hadn't made her think he was lying about that.

" I'll tell you later," he assured her. His soft eyes met Helena's and he instantly felt her frustration rolling off her in waves. There was a long pause of silence as the shared eye contact that was occasionally interrupted by Leon's need to glance over at the road ahead of them.

"When later?" she asked, her demeanor giving up slightly.

" After we go to the BSAA base outside of town," he answered, which didn't help his case in making her feel better. He didn't tell her that they were heading that way. Again, the frustration returned. It didn't really matter, she had no where else to go that day. It was the principle of the matter, what if she did? Then again, this was probably a small amount of revenge for what she dragged him into. She shook the thought from her head and stared at him in disbelief. " Wait, I thought no one was allowed to set foot on the base until Jake Muller was secured."

"That's true, but Chris requested by presence in place of his. They sent him back to Europe last week," he explained. Helena shook her head.

"But I thought he had received the job the government's gratitude for aiding us."

Leon chuckled at how naïve she made herself sound. "Gratitude is slapping a metal on your chest and sending you off into battle again," he explained. " Giving Chris this position was just an idea, and one they quickly took away from him."

" But he's the best BSAA soldier we have on this side of the country."

"I agree, which is probably why he was sent to Europe with a gun he was actually allowed to shoot." Leon turned the corner, accelerating the car and taking off down the off ramp to the main highway. "Either way, Chris asked me to be there, because if anything goes wrong with Jake he felt like I could handle it."

" There's about twenty BSAA agents watching him, what could you possibly protect him from that they can't?" she argued. Leon glanced over at her again. " I'm not protecting him from anything. I'm protecting them from him," he answered simply and all at once Helena understood what their presence was for. That young man was unpredictable after all.

* * *

**Not a terribly exciting chapter, I'll have to admit. Then again it was necessary for story set up. Thanks to everyone who read my prologue and took the time to give me some feedback, it helped a lot. And yes kunfupandalover, you read my mind. I was going to have some SherryXJake in this story. Sherry will be a major part of Leon's life at this point so it's only fair.**

**Hopefully next chapter will be more exciting. . .and published quicker. Again, I'm sorry. Next chapter I'm introducing more characters and hopefully getting more action.**

**Also if anyone feels like I'm not setting up the characters right, please say so. I've been working on character development and interaction, plus there's nothing worse than getting one of your favorite character's personalities completely wrong. Any kind of criticism will help.**


	3. Mistakes and Promises

**A chapter for Sherry and Jake. **

* * *

Chapter 2: Mistakes and Promises

Sherry awoke to the bright sunlight that fled in through window pane and stretched across the hotel suite in attempt to reach her on the king sized bed. Her hand came up to her face and hovered over her eyes to block the glaring sun from her sight, but it was all in vain. She had already been awoken and there was little chance of her returning to her deep slumber she had greatly deserved. With a yawn she stretched her arms above her and ruffled the short blonde hair on her head. She turned to rest on her back and stared up at the ceiling, cringing to the aching in her muscles. The aches and pains could imprison her if she let them. They could wrap invisible chains around the bed and set heavy transparent weights on her body, but she too stubborn to let that happen. Even for a day. _You have to get up_, was the only motivation she could give herself and unfortunately she needed more than that. This was the most comfortable bed she had ever had the pleasure of laying on. Every bit of her body sunk into its memory foam and the silk felt like air that cascaded over her. The entire room smelled of lilac and every bit of the area was silent. More importantly, she didn't have to be paranoid of the omnipresent danger she was so used to waiting for. Everyone deserved at least one night like this to enjoy this comfort, and Sherry was one of those people that deserved at least a week's worth of it, especially after what she had been through in the past year. Fighting BOW's, running from the US government, finding out her boss was the bad guy, running from her former boss, not being able to have a solid night's worth of sleep, and dragging an arrogant, hot-headed, irrational mercenary through it all.

The sheets next to her began to rustle and slide back and forth along her body as the figure beside her began to stir. Her body jolted subtly when she felt a knee bump her ribs and rest there. She turned her head to look upon an innocent sleeping face. He slept on his stomach with his left cheek distorted slightly against the pillow, his knee embedded into her side and his arms lying across the empty areas on the silk sheets. Jake wasn't a graceful sleeping partner, but she couldn't help but giggle at how peaceful he looked lying next to her, naked and wrapped up in dark blue bedding. This had to be the best sleep he had experienced in a while. They both shared that desire for a comfortable place to sleep, even though this was the first time Jake had experienced such pleasures. Growing up in the slums of Europe made him taciturn, he never needed anything more than a blanket on the floor, and he had slept with less. Yet this time, the US government had funded their overnight home, but they didn't trust Jake in a room alone. Even worse they only had enough money to buy a one bedroom suite. And after months of dragging Jake around for the sake of humanity, Sherry didn't have the heart to cast him to the couch and Jake had more dignity than to take that offer from a woman. They bickered over it and bickering turned into arguing and arguing turned to name-calling. After they did they're typical fighting things turned for the unusual and somehow she ended up in his embrace and kissing him passionately. Then the rest of the night was spent without words and now here Sherry was lying next to someone she used to find completely aggravating, thinking about the night before with butterflies in her stomach.

The bridge of Jake's nose began to wrinkle and he began to stir more violently than before. Sherry's eyes ventured to the window pane, knowing that it was the sunlight that was agitating him while he slept. That in itself was enough motivation for her to get out of bed. Cautiously she slid from under the covers trying to avoid shaking the mattress too much. Once her bare figure was out from under the warmth, she was painfully aware of the cool breeze that hung about the room. Almost frantically rubbing her arms for warmth, she searched desperately for her clothes. To her luck, she couldn't find anything of hers on this side of the bed. There was very little clothing in that area of the room. She recalled the night before and remembered that most of her clothes didn't make it over to the bed. Not wanting to search the entire suite for her scattered clothing, she picked up Jake's black long sleeved shirt that was draped across the bedside table and slid it on. It, naturally, swallowed her thin figure and fit her like a loose dress.

Her body stiffened getting the feeling that there was a presence that was now aware of her. She glanced over her shoulder, meeting bright blue eyes that stared up at her fiercely. The harshness in his features seemed to replace what most people would call a look of surprise. Then again, she wondered if he was paranoid of her still. This couldn't have been the first time he had caught a woman sneaking out of his bed to do god knows what. Was that what the look was for? Suddenly, Jake's features softened as he rolled over on his back and sighed.

"I'm not a morning person," he groaned.

Sherry felt her breath that she was unaware she was holding release from her lungs. She stared at him for a moment considering rather they should have a talk what had happened the last night. After all they hadn't really spoken except for a few breathy phrases they managed to voice. Though she was still high off of the incident, she couldn't help but regret it at the same time. They were only together because of business, not so that he could get could in her pants before he was deprived of sex and alcohol to be a government lab rat. The idea of him using her was upsetting, but she couldn't deny that she didn't use him too. Even though they were for far more sensual reasons like the fact that she was attracted to him and felt safe with him and. . . . She shook the thoughts from her mind as she continued towards the window. She was convinced now that there was no need to talk about it, because there was nothing serious about the situation. It was only sex after all, they were stressed out and tense, it wouldn't happen again.

Once in front of the window, Sherry took in the radiance of the sun. Every color in the sky seemed to cool her mind of any concerns. She was calm and thinking back to times when she didn't have to stumble upon these moments. She could enjoy this every morning from her bedroom window, knowing that Simmons wouldn't let her go outside to truly enjoy it because of the dangers beyond her front yard. But that was okay with her, it was better than being in a lab everyday with her real parents. Sherry bowed her head and cupped both her hands over the center of her chest. She was still in mourning over Simmons' death, villain or not he was like a father to her. Suddenly she was nostalgic even though it had only been a few years she was missing. A few years without peace of mind felt like a lifetime.

A warm rough hand traced up her thigh and onto her hip under the black cotton. She raised her head and opened her eyes slowly. She was all too familiar with how his hands felt on her skin, yet she still had a tingling sensation trail behind his fingers. His other hand mimicked the one already placed on her hip and when he pressed his body against her back she became aware of the fact that he didn't bother getting dressed. Her eyes widened as she felt the tug in her chest. She wanted to turn around and lay down the rules, which were no touching, no affection, and he had to put in his clothes on. But she didn't have the strength to say anything. She was too entranced by the way he swayed slightly and adjusted to wrap his arms around her torso. There was so much of his bare skin touching hers and her body seemed to curve into him. _Why are you doing this to me,_ she thought as continued to look out the window and pretend that her cheeks weren't getting warm.

"Not regretting it too much, are you?" he asked well-aware of what she was battling in her mind.

She was silent, not knowing what to say. Yes, because she had forgotten her responsibilities and let him take advantage of her. No, because it was one of the best nights of her life. She didn't know which answer was the most predominate in her mind. She knew what she should say, but wasn't sure what she wanted to say.

"I-"she choked on her own voice still stuck on the moment. She exhaled harshly and combed her fingers through her hair in frustration. "I can't do this, Jake. I shouldn't have let it go this far. I-"she paused feeling that tug in her heart grow stronger. She was starting to feel sick to her stomach from being on this emotional roller coaster. She placed her head against the window pane and crossed her arms over her torso wanting desperately for her emotions to stop toying with her.

"Hey," he beckoned in a smooth tone. She glanced over her shoulder at him and saw that he no longer looked amused like she had done something to concern him. She sighed as she stood up straight and turned to face him, avoiding his blue eyes. He placed his knuckle under her chin a forced her to look at him. "I didn't do it to complicate things; that was the last thing from my mind."

"Maybe it should have been the first thing on your mind, Jake," she interrupted her eyes filling up with tears. The shame and disappointment in her countenance caused him to downcast his eyes for a moment. Never in his life had he been so intimidated and that only frustrated him. He thought he'd be used to crying by now, it wasn't like he had never made a girl cry. Yet, when his eyes returned to hers that shine in her stare made him want to crumble. But he wasn't going to just roll over and let her continue doubting her actions and battle it out in her head. That wasn't in his character to let anyone win so easily. Suddenly, Sherry took a step back, about to pull away from him.

Upon seeing her trying to place distance between them, he grabbed her arm gently before she could get too far. She paused almost too afraid to move once she saw the way he was looking at her. It wasn't an threatening expression, the only thing that displayed any clear emotion were his eyes, and that was enough to freeze Sherry in her spot. Jake was the kind of person to feel with his entire body, even though his face was like stone, his stance was fighting for stability. Every bit of her felt regret in that moment, because he actually looked like he was hurt by the last thing she said. Was it really a surprise to him that last night was a one time thing? Sherry didn't think he would want anything from her after one night, that was his game. He even admitted to her that he wasn't sure he could give her anything more than his body. If she knew that, then why did she suddenly feel like the villain here? She continued to stare into his cold eyes wanting so badly to break his grip and continue on with what she was doing. Yet no matter how much her mind told her to move, her feet couldn't even take a step.

" You're not just going to end it like that, are you?" he finally asked. There was a pause as she thought hard about what to say to that. She really didn't want to hurt him. _Come on, Sherry. He's a big boy, he can handle it_, she told herself. " It should have never started," she answered. And just like that she watched his eyes shift into a completely different emotion, but his face stayed as still as ever. She could tell he was absorbing her words and thinking about them. When his eyes returned to her, they were displaying a completely different emotion.

"Fine," he shook his head before letting his arm fall to his side. A strange aura replaced him, he put on a show like he didn't have a care in the world. Yet, defeat lingered in his expression.

Sherry was oblivious to the look in his eyes and only paid attention to his words. With his sudden display of disconnection, Sherry grew more confident in what she had said to him. That one little word actually made her feel stupid to think that she had actually broken through his thick skin and hurt him. "It won't happen again," she stated firmly.

Jake shrugged at her, hearing that irritation in her tone. " I said fine, didn't I?" and just like that he was the old Jake Muller. His attitude challenged her, and that only made her feel more like an idiot. _I can't believe I found him comforting_. Sherry looked him up and down as she crossed her arms over her chest. " Are you going to get dressed?" Jake shifted and mimicked her stance. "Are you going to give me back my shirt?"

A sudden knock on the door startled Sherry into breaking their gaze and left him standing there with a look of annoyance in his eyes. Once she read the clock she began to panic more. "We were supposed to be packed already," she informed him as she ran to her bag by the couch, grabbing whatever bit of clothing she could find and brunching it up in a ball. From her bag she pulled out black slacks, a light blue blouse, and undergarments before throwing the ball of clothes in the bag. There was another more persistent knock at the door. "Just a second," she called to the door while she took off Jake's shirt and threw it at him. "Put your clothes on," she whispered as she continued to get dressed. Jake knew that it wasn't wise to rebel, but his protest was obvious in how calmly he redressed. By the time Sherry had gotten dressed, freshened up, and had the bag zipped up and slung over her shoulder, Jake was just buttoning his pants. "Jake, please," Sherry whined as she walked over to the door and opened it.

Her smile faded when she saw a uniformed BSAA agent standing there with his hands causally at his side. She was surprised to see that someone else other than Chris Redfield was at their door, he did after all inform her that he would be the one escorting both her and Jake to the government lab.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Ms. Birkin. Were you expecting someone else?" he asked suspiciously. Sherry shook her head. "No. Well, yes. I was told Captian Redfield was in charge of this operation."

" He had other business to attend to. Are you ready to go?"

Sherry nodded slowly and glanced over her shoulder at Jake, whom stood idly by for the BSAA's directions. He didn't care who got them to the lab where he was going to be poked and prodded at. He just wanted the day to end and it showed in his expression.

Sherry turned and gave a friendly smile to the soldier. "Yes, we are," she said as she began to walk out the door, Jake following close behind. They walked down the hallway, the soldier trailing behind them. Jake cautiously glanced behind him at the dark-haired man becoming even more wary of his presence. The man returned back a dark glare as he watched his every move. Jake looked back in front of him and leaned down over Sherry's shoulder. " This guy gives me the creeps," he whispered in her ear. Sherry didn't answer, she just rolled her eyes. Of course he did, the man was preying over Jake like a hawk waiting for him to do something hasty. He was a former mercenary and Chris had probably filled the government officials in on how unpredictable Jake could be.

Once they made it to the bottom floor, the three were all met by at least nine other BSAA soldiers waiting in front of the elevator, armed and ready. Jake's brows furrowed as he looked at all of their face. "You've got to be kidding me. Two would have been enough," he growled. Sherry shot a glare back at him and though the his defying aura never left him, he still obeyed her silent order.

There was A black truck with the BSAA logo plastered on the side of it waiting in the back of the hotel, back doors open with one soldier standing guard with a tight grip on his rifle. The first on in was Sherry, whom the guarding soldier had boosted up into the back. Jake was next, of course the soldier didn't offer a hand to him, all they shared was a glare filled with animosity. As Jake walked to the front of the truck he noticed handcuffs and a few syringes filled a light blue liquid sitting in a glass box held closed by a padlock. _Tranquilizers, _Jake thought as he took a seat next to Sherry. He bowed his head and chuckled lightly under his breath. She looked at him with a look of confusion, severely curious of him. "Why are you laughing?" she whispered. Jake looked up at her with a devilish grin. "Something tells me I'm a threat to them," he answered.

Sherry couldn't deny that he was a dangerous threat, rather he was armed or not. He did, after all, fight a twelve foot tall brute with interchangeable limbs with his bare hands. But she didn't want to put that idea in his big head.

"They're just being cautious, they can't take any chances with you," she answered.

"Come on," he teased as he placed his hand on her inner thigh "You of all people should know that I can be affectionate," he joked. Sherry was about to brush his hand away, but the skinny barrel of a rifle beat her to it as it hooked underneath Jake's hand and forced it off of her thigh. They both looked up at the soldier, the man's eyes shifting between the two. His eyes paused on Jake. "Keep your hands to yourself," he ordered. His eyes then looked at Sherry. " If you're uncomfortable, he can be moved." A low growl passed Jake's lips, the soldier's first impression made Jake want to rip his throat out. She nervously shook her head. "No, I'm fine. You know these renegade types," she joked. "They don't know how to keep their hands to themselves." Jake shot a glare at her, but bowed his head to reframe himself from saying anything out loud. "I could say the same for government agents," he said under his breath. His comment didn't go unheard by Sherry, but she ignored him and smiled at the man. The other soldiers all started to pack themselves in, taking their seats one by one. The last two shutting and locking the double doors. The soldier sitting across from Jake and Sherry slammed his palm on the front tin wall of the truck to signal the driver to go. Within seconds the engine roared to life and the truck began its journey

* * *

The truck drove through the abandoned highway, trucking it's way up the scenic road without a problem. It was the largest of it's kind, fitting ten armed soldiers, Jake and Sherry, plus the passenger up front with the driver. They had been driving for several hours, the truck seeming to rock more the further along it drove. On the sides of the truck two windows were small and rectangular, only big enough for a pair of eyes to look out of. Though Sherry was becoming restless, she didn't bother trying to crawl over these men to stand on the bench to feed her curiosity. Even though, it was killing her that she couldn't familiarize herself with the area. If there was anything she had learned from Simmons' betrayal, it was that she shouldn't trust so easily.

She groaned and bowed her head into her palms battling both confusion and frustration in the same hour. Slowly she shook her head, _Only a little longer. Hold your composure, _she thought. Sherry opened her eyes upon feeling a slight nudge in her side. She sat up straight and leaned back against the tin of the inner wall of the truck. She turned her head and met Jake's eyes.

"Getting cabin fever?" he teased though there was no emotion in his countenance.

"No, I'm just tired that's all," she lied. Jake shook his head and leaned forward slightly to place his elbows on his knees.

"Well, I am and I could really use a damn cigarette."

Sherry's brows furrowed " In the six months I spent with you, I've never seen you smoke a cigarette."

Jake chuckled lightly under his breath, but still stared down at the floor as he clasped his hands together. " That's because I didn't have a chance to scrounge a pack before I ran into you." Sherry smiled, feeling accomplished that she indirectly forced him to quit such a disgusting habit. The world has gone to hell, the last thing someone needs is to be battling lung cancer. Upon noticing the looming eyes, her smile faded. They all cradled their guns so tightly like sick children to their blankets, and instantly Sherry was aware of how nervous they were around the son of Albert Wesker. Most of these men had probably never had the pleasure of meeting such a villain, but it was the records of causalities he had caused that led their fear. Jake turned his head and looked to the far end of the truck upon hearing the clicking of a rifle being lifted up towards the ceiling. He met glares with the unnamed soldier that had met him at the door back at the hotel. There was a flame in both of them as they tried to strike fear in the other's heart, yet neither of them faltered. Sherry watched their silent battle and for a brief second felt her discomfort escalate. Finally Jake broke his stare and glanced over his shoulder at her "I might have to start again after all of this."

Suddenly the light coming through the windows faded to black and an artificial light lit up only the space under the window. They all sat in an eerie darkness as the truck came to a stop. Within seconds, the sound of boots could be heard running around the truck to the back entrance until it gradually grew quiet with the low rumble of a male voice giving orders. Sherry looked around all of the men, unaware that she was the only one anticipating anything monumental. Then again all of these men were used to military precautions, even Jake whom kept his head bowed like a somber prisoner.

The double doors swung open causing Sherry to jump in her seat and causing her body to settle into a tense posture, her eyes swelling with a look of fear. One by one each man on the truck stepped off into the loading bay of building, and Sherry watched them with an accelerated heart rate. A hand was gently placed on her knee, and her eyes were averted to the side of Jake's face. "I'll be okay," he assured her, his voice hinted with discouragement.

As his hand dropped to his side as he stood up and raised his arms to shoulder height. A new set of BSAA soldiers patted him down for concealed weapons or anything hazardous. Sherry just stared so dumbfounded in watching him cooperate so seamlessly with the no expression on his face. "Clear," one soldier announced to the other. They both nodded, the other man forcing both of Jake's arms behind his back before linking his hands together with reinforced cuffs.

Watching him be cuffed and led off the truck made Sherry's own memories return to her, when she was a lab rat to the U.S. government. They never cuffed her, because she was so willing to help at any cost. Yet she remembered the terror of being led to her torture by heavily armed guards like a prize. That's when she realized she was cautious not because she had anything to be afraid of. Her fear was for him. Every bit of her body feeling that very primal feeling for someone whom remained calm and accepted his fate. She shook the thought from her head and stood up from the bench, exiting the truck into an unknown territory.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Yeah, I know that's kind of a weird place to end it, but I decided to split this into two separate chapters. Mostly because I ended up with 8,000 some words and I wasn't even done writing it. With that said, I have about half of chapter 3 already written so that should be up fairly soon. Or at least I hope so. It will continue all of this and what not.**

**I want some feedback on this chapter, but on the subject of Jake and Sherry. I wanted to include their relationship just because I think that since Sherry and Leon sort of have a reunion in the game, he would really want to be there for her more. So she would be a huge part of this story. They kind of have like a brother/sister relationship, maybe more of a father/daughter I don't know it's all about preference. Either way I guess I want to ask, should I keep going into detail with Jake and Sherry like I just did or should I more skim over it? It's not like I don't want to go into detail, I'm just afraid I'll venture too far away from the main relationship which is Leon and Ada. So somebody please give me an opinion, it would be greatly appreciated. **

**Thanks to everyone that favorited and reviewed, it makes me happy and it also makes me more eager to write. So, thanks for the motivation to get this chapter up. I'll be seeing you all next week with the next chapter.**


	4. Black Widow

Black Widow

"Slow down!" Helena cried as Leon swerved around the curve. She yelped quietly, feeling the car drift around the corner. The vehicle felt out of control, they were going ten miles over the speed limit on a road on the side of a mountain with nothing but a feeble metal rail keeping them from falling off the edge. Though, Helena had her eyes closed tight, trying not to have a panic attack, it seemed to make things worse that she had no control over the situation. Even worse than that was that the fact that reckless driver just happened to be the man that flipped a police car, crash landed an airplane, and drove a helicopter through a building in the span of six months.

Finally, Helena opened her eyes and looked at Leon, whom with sheer determination slung the wheel to the left causing the car to drift yet again. " Why are you in such a hurry?" she asked clenching onto the handle of the door with every bit of her energy. Leon looked down at the clock on the dashboard, they were five minutes late and he wasn't even sure they were anywhere near the base. " A lot of things could happen if we don't get there in time, " he answered as he took another curve. Helena gasped, closing her eyes yet again.

" I'm sure everything is fine, just please slow down. Haven't I gotten in enough wrecks with you?" she said partially to tease him, but the seriousness in her tone said otherwise. " No wonder you crash so often, you're a reckless driver!"

" I haven't crashed this one yet," he replied nonchalantly.

Within three minutes the road straightened out as they came to the top, and almost immediately they could see the heavily guarded entrance to the base. The gated door was tall, at least a hundred feet tall if not more. There were towers that framed the entrance, each one having two men with assault rifles, one sniper and a mounted turret gun. It wasn't out of the ordinary for a BSAA base to be guarded so heavily, but Leon felt immediately uncomfortable. He knew he wasn't welcome, even more so that he was being tried for treason, among other things. He hoped that they hadn't received word of it yet. If they did, they would try to take him in custody and accuse him of being a terrorist, especially on a day like today with such a huge event going on.

Leon stopped at the door, a tall man heading towards his car window as quickly as possible. Leon rolled his window down as the armed man leaned down towards his car. " No agents allowed on the base today," he informed them.

" We're supposed to be here, Captain Redfield gave us permission to enter in place of him. He said he sent an official document of it," Leon told the man whose expression shifted as if he knew what Leon was talking about. " Identification, both of you," he calmly demanded. Leon reached into his pocket and pulled out badge, giving it to the officer. Helena did the same. The man glanced over the badges, nodded and handed them back to Leon. He stood briefly and signaled the other men sitting in the booth at the base of one of the towers. "You're free to go in." Leon breathed a sigh of relief as he rolled up his window. They obviously weren't aware of his demotion, but Leon couldn't complain about that.

Once passed the gate, Leon sped off into the base, trying to remember what Chris's directions to the lab. Fortunately it wasn't hard to find. It was the largest and most barricaded building on base due to the top secret experiments that had taken place there in the past. Once passed the other guards asking to see his identification, they opened up one of the doors allowing Leon drive into the secure garage attached to the lab.

* * *

Sherry was assisted out of the back of the truck and into a empty room. Slowly, the large entrance shut automatically behind them, confining them to the lab for good now. In front of them was thick reinforced steel door that covered the entire wall. There was no way to open it from the outside, no entry pad, no knobs, no handles of any sort. To the naked eye it would look like a wall with an emblem with a dark blue background with the name Delmar in black letters on a blue ribbon draped across the a large white star in the middle. Of course, everyone standing in the room knew better than that. They all waited for a moment, everyone shifting, either out of impatience or discomfort.

Suddenly a loud beep caught everyone's attention, even startled a few on edge men. Following it was a smooth female voice. " Commander of this operation, please state your name," it demanded politely. From the crowd rose a man with dark hair, the same soldier that had escorted Jake and Sherry from the room, the same soldier that glared at Jake in the back of the truck. Jake scoffed lightly under his breath, which he was rewarded with uneasy looks from the soldiers closest too him. _Great, my escort just happens to be the biggest asshole in the platoon_, he thought. The soldier adjusted his gun and glanced up at the ceiling, searching for the camera that was watching them.

"Commander Bradley Collins," he answered as his eyes narrowed in on the camera that seemed to have focused on him at the same time. There was a pause, like someone was reviewing the name and trying to confirm that he was the real Commander Collins. " Is Jake Muller in custody?" the voice finally replied.

" Yes."

There was another silence after that, leaving the men and Sherry to stand in the numbingly quiet room. After a few seconds had passed, a subtle hissing sound came from the doors. A dark line appeared in the middle of the emblem the hissing growing quieter. Suddenly the room went dark and flashing red light illuminated it in seconds. As the door opened wider a bright lights flooded into the large room, causing Sherry to shield her squinting eyes. Once they adjusted she looked through the door seeing nothing but a long white hallway leading to another door.

Once inside the main facility, Sherry's mouth fell agape in sheer awe of how advanced the place was. It was much better than the one she spent so much time in back in the inner city. Everything was clean, white, no stench of heavy bleach hanging suspiciously in the air. Not to mention the size of the place. Everyone walked on a bridge leading to a platform that was placed in the middle of the large facility, large computers set up in a circle below it as support. Around the computers below them were at least fifty men and women in white lab coats, busy at their work looking for a way to fight off the growing epidemic. The sight of the environment eased Sherry's worries, hopefully they'll have better sleeping quarters, better equipment, who knew. Jake would only be locked up in the Delmar Lab for about a week, but the better his living conditions the easier it would be to keep their guest calm.

Jake didn't seemed phased by the magnitude of the lab. None of the men did, but he just looked down at the floor in a daze. He didn't want to be there for more than a day, but according to the main doctors of the operation, they were going to need a lot of "pure" blood. They wanted to watch his diet and water intake, and make sure his body had enough time to replenish itself between extractions. Jake, of course, combated the idea and gave them permission to suck him dry and send him on his way. Yet Sherry insisted he listen to them and stay for a while. Which he was regretting letting her talk him into it now.

The awareness of his cuffs began unbearable. He was here on his own will. There was really no reason that constituted the cuffs. Except for little knowledge about his past, and the fact that they thought he was just as insane as his father. Sherry, of course, tried to clear that thought from Jake's head many times, and actually gave him hope. Yet, the cuffs made him feel like a criminal, a pretty little catch that they needed to tame. He didn't like this, he didn't like this place, he didn't like the sensations it gave him, or how the little details about this situation irritated him.

A gentle touch on his bare forearm broke him from his trance. He looked beside him, watching Sherry's hand as it stroked his arm. It was a strange gesture, especially now that they weren't alone and being watched like prey. What was more confusing about it was he couldn't tell if she was trying to soothe him or herself.

" Please keep your hands off of the subject, Ms. Birkin," a calm voice ordered. Jake glanced menacingly over his shoulder at the soldier that was glancing between the two with blame in his eyes. Sherry did as told and her arms dropped to her side. There were threats on Jake's tongue, just waiting to tear this guy a new one, but a nudge in his side stopped them in his throat. "Don't worry about it, Jake." With reluctance, Jake looked ahead waiting for whatever reason they were left standing dumbfounded on the middle platform.

Eventually, a small group of three doctors appeared from around the computers, all walking in uniform with their clip boards in hand. The first doctor was a woman with skin the shade of caramel with long dark hair. Behind her were two male agents. One was tall and lanky, his inexperience displayed in his face. The other just as tall, but rough and brutish. The doctor smiled as she approached everyone, the agents following her keeping stone faces.

The female doctor stopped in front of Collins, whom towered over her despite the black heels she was wearing. "Sergeant Collins, it's an honor to finally meet you," she said politely as she offered her hand. Collins took her frail hand and shook it gently.

"I'm Dr. Miranda Holtz." Without warning, Dr. Holtz looked around Collins, setting her eyes on the prize of the whole operation. A larger smile appeared on her face, she almost couldn't handle the excitement of finally getting to see Jake Muller. She walked passed Collins, leaving him to stand there awkwardly as she made her way to the wall of soldiers surrounding Jake and Sherry. They parted for her as she made her way to the middle and stood in front of Jake. She looked up at him, examining the details of his features with careful eyes.

" Thank you for coming, Mr. Muller," she said in a smooth and practically libidinous voice. Sherry furrowed her brows at the woman, but did not receive any eye contact from her. The doctor was too busy staring at Jake, and he didn't protest the nature of her looks.

"How long are you planning on keeping him?" Sherry broke the silence, making both Jake and Dr. Holtz look at her in faint surprise. The doctor cleared her throat, and a friendly grin was projected at the blond agent. "Sherry Birkin, right?" Sherry nodded at her, a look of discontent on her face. The doctor shifted slightly in her spot and then looked at Jake. " For a week, he will be released next Tuesday morning," she answered before looking at Jake's handcuffs. A look of horror appeared on her face, her smile melting into a look of disappointment. Then, it was like frustration replaced her sunny disposition in her eyes. It looked to Sherry as if she might have snapped upon seeing the handcuffs and was waiting for some type of fit to break from her. Yet, strangely the woman remained calm as her features became relaxed once again.

"Someone please remove the handcuffs," she masked the demand behind a gentle tone. Both Sherry and Jake expected a protest from someone, but everyone remained completely silent as Collins came forward with a silver key in hand. Dr. Holtz stepped aside letting, allowing the sergeant to remove the cuffs. Collins didn't do this without staring Jake down, challenging him to make a move and threatening to punish him if he did in a few seconds worth of demeaning eye contact. Jake, being the instigator he was, smirked as if accepting the challenge.

A bright sigh came from Dr. Holtz as her smile illuminated her tan features once again. " Now that that's taken care of, we can proceed with everything," she announced before turning away from everyone and heading down the platform. "Let's continue shall we," she called back to the large group of people that began to push forward after her. Sherry looked over at Jake, her displeasure still in her expression. " She seemed nice. This should be fun," she began sarcastically, her dislike for the doctor obvious. Jake listened intently to the tone of her voice, rubbing his free wrists to remove the intentions from the handcuffs. He met Sherry's sideways glare.

" Yeah, I can't wait," answered mimicking the her tone.

* * *

Silence can be the most sickening thing a person could experience in a time like this. Something Jake was beginning to realize while he sat in a stiff gray chair that resembled a dentist chair, watching as scientist buzz passed him with motivation glazing over their pupils. Every doctor in the room was completely silent, not even a whisper could be heard between co-workers in this ongoing routine of preparation for the first extraction of Jake's blood. It was a little strange. A doctor at a private practice clinic could probably take blood blindfolded, before sending you on your way. Yet these guys treated this like a rocket launch into space, like one minute mistake could bring everything crashing down in a matter of seconds. It made the atmosphere of the room tense and unwelcoming.

Before he had even stepped foot in this lab, he was forced into a high pressure shower and given anti-bacterial soap to wash with before forcing in him white scrubs made from cheap prickly material. The explanation for all of this was that the outside world was "unsanitary". For whatever reason that aggravated him beyond his own comprehension. He felt like a cancer patient in these irritating linens. They didn't even fit correctly. The pants were so large he had knot the draw sting twice just to keep them from sliding off his hips. Not to mention his shirt that was large enough to cover him, but tight enough to have his muscles protrude through the cloth.

" Jake," a smooth voice beckoned Jake out of his deep daze that he hadn't even realized he had slipped into. He looked up at Dr. Holtz, meeting those smiling eyes of hers.

" We're going to start taking blood soon," she warned stiffly. There was a tense silence between them, with him looking at her like she was a complete stranger. The nature of this room had changed her too. She morphed into someone new, no longer warm and welcoming, but distant and dutiful. Even her tone of voice had changed. Jake simply nodded at her, with less of an interest to break the silent concentration of the other scientist than he thought he did. She gave him one forced smile before gripping her clipboard closer to her chest and strutting off to a table on the other side of the room to join her colleagues.

Jake scoffed under his breath with unexplained annoyance. He had a migraine brewing in his temples and nausea filling up in his stomach. There was no real cause for the sudden sickness. Perhaps it was because of the discomfort he felt or the thoughts in his head or the brewing anxiety in his muscles. Jake really wanted to rip someone's throat out. Yet, he was fighting desperately to bite his tongue and to hold his composure. Had there not been so much on the line, perhaps he would have been more cantankerous towards these people.

Above the lab, his eyes immediately found Sherry leaning against the rail just above him. She watched patiently, her hands clasped together. When their eyes met, she smiled half-heartedly at him as if to be comforting from so far away. He didn't smile back, but instead looked away from her as if it were her fault.

Sherry shook her head like a mother to her stubborn child. He, of course, didn't notice the gesture, but she figured it was for the better. She didn't want to pestered on her actions when she saw him next.

"They let you in too, huh?" a deep voice interjected her thoughts. Though the man was standing behind her, the voice was so familiarly warm that she couldn't keep her eyes from widening subtly.

_Leon?_

Sherry stood up straight and spun around in one swift movement that almost made the world spin with her. Once she saw his face the reassurance that it was him moved her body forward in excitement.

"Leon."

She crashed into him, practically knocking the breath from his chest from sheer force, and wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight embrace. Though, he was stunned from her sudden display of affection, Leon smiled and returned the affectionate hug.

" I'm so glad you made it out of China. I never got news of you returning, and I thought something had happened to you," she explained letting her arms slide off his shoulders and back down to her side. There was a bit of disappointment in her blue eyes. They almost looked as if she had experienced some sort of abandonment or neglect in the passed couple of weeks. Her expression displaying her questions, like why he didn't contact her when he got back.

" Well, with everything we've been through after coming back to the states it must have slipped his mind," the smooth tone of Helena's voice called for both Leon and Sherry's attention to the place where she stood with her hands behind her back. The women exchanged a polite yet distant smile that agents often shared with each other if they were on good terms. Lucky for Leon, Helena's interjection had let him off the hook.

" Nice to see you too, Helena," Sherry replied sweetly, as if that was a sensible answer.

"How's he doing?" Leon continued in a dreadful tone that made it sound like he was asking about a critical condition patient. He slowly walked over to the railing on the platform and wrapped his strong hands around the metal to keep him steadily against it.

Sherry sighed and mirrored his movements. " He's fine. Just a little cranky," she teased.

"So, this hasn't affected his mood at all."

"Not really. Pretty much same old Jake," she giggled lightly, following Leon's glare to Jake down below. She grew silent and still, almost as if she was awaiting some approaching danger. Helena took her place against the railing on the opposite side of Leon, her eyes staring at Jake too.

" I told you there was nothing to worry about," Helena teased, earning herself a confused look from the ever so curious Sherry.

"It's not six o'clock yet. There's still time for things to go wrong," he argued lightheartedly.

* * *

The day was almost halfway over, the sun easing it's way down from the center of the sky. Each soldier left to fortify the outside of the base like the Queen of England's royal guard were all soaked in glistening sweat from the atmosphere beating down on them, an intensifying heat smothering them affectionately as the sun had climbed into the cloudless blue sky. Everyone standing like dutiful statues at the gate were experiencing the unpleasant discomforts of the summer day that Washington D.C. occasionally produced this time of year. Their guns were hot and unbearable to hold, their clothes sticking to them like duct tape suits, and if they could sit in the shade they would. Yet they resisted the instinctual urge to escape the torturous yellow orb that hung above them, they had successfully endured the travail of the noon sun. Every single man prayed it would only get better from here. Micheal, a young soldier from North Dakota, was probably be the only one who needed the cool touch of nightfall. He was sweating the most, not to mention panting heavily like a dog in need of water. His tongue was dry, complexion pale, and he felt like he would croak at any minute.

Without warning his trepidation became reality when he felt his brittle knees buckle. The drop to his knees was smooth and the upper half of his body was completely still, his rifle making a sicken slap as it hit the concrete. Micheal doubled over, his breathing speeding up rapidly as unconsciousness teased his body, and begging him to give into his bodies naturally defenses. Normally, his superior would have chastised him for such a display of weakness, called him some demeaning girl's name and told him to suck it up. But this time, his captain knelt on one knee by his younger comrade's side and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Someone get him some water!" he barked his order in the general direction of a group of soldiers, only one man breaking from the group to run inside the base. Then his attention returned to the fallen soldier. " Do you think you'll make it?" he asked, being oddly genuine. The young man wheezed, forcing himself to mutter words that he couldn't get passed his throat. " We'll have someone take you to the clinic in the base, alright? Can you walk?"

"I . . . I don't-" the young soldier swallowed down his raspy voice, but shook his head as an alternative.

"Captain!" called another low voice from the tower. "Trucks!"

The captain glanced behind him, seeing three military issued cargo trucks making their way towards the gate. He groaned in displeasure, the last thing he needed at the moment was supply trucks arriving on the wrong date or to the wrong base. As far as he was concerned no one was supposed to enter the base today unless authorized to do so, and supply trucks weren't on that list of guests. If Jake Muller was as special as the rumors said he was, there would be someone trying to get a piece of the precious blood samples inside. Though, he played along and stood up to greet the trucks before they got too close. The first truck got close to the gate, only halting at a distance of five yards away from the entrance. The captain squinted at the truck, examining it's detail. He found that at a glance the truck would look like any old cargo shipper, but to his trained eye, it was nothing like a military issued vehicle. It was in too good of a condition to be. With careful eyes, the captain watched one of his soldiers walk up to the truck and peer into the driver side window above his head. Something in the captain told him that he needed to handle this. Once he took a step, he felt a sharp pain being wedged through his skin and into his spine. The pain registered in his mind sending it into panic mode, his entire body tensing to the damaging sensation. That's when just in front of him, he watched as the soldier by the truck reached for his rifle hanging loose on his back, but he wasn't quick enough to protect himself against the bullet that shot straight through his skull. Alarm was written all over the captain's face as his heavy body dropped to his knees with a loud thud. Behind him a loud shrill of yells and cries began to ring in his ears. Each sound of pain and death sounding distinct to each man in his platoon. In the mist of gunshots and the sound of cracking bones all began to crescendo into the a loud jumble of noise, he could almost name off each of his men as they died.

Rage and loss filled his eyes that quickly turned seeing the face of a young man that stared down at him with a smile of satisfaction.

"Davis, you son of a bitch," he growled. The young man smiled, quite pleased with himself.

"Is that any way to speak to your brightest private, Captain?"

"Fuck you," was the last thing the Captain could get out before a large boot was pressed against his back, leverage for the soldier to remove deeply embedded knife. Within seconds it was pressed against his throat, a steady hand drawing the blade in a tight line across his skin, the crimson blood seeping out like a waterfall. His traitor didn't stand there long enough to watch the Captain's soul leave his body. He knew he would not get back up after that.

The young soldier, once thought to be Micheal from North Dakota, sheathed the bloody knife and glanced over at the door that led inside the tower, seeing one of his fellow traitors rising from the black and into the doorway. They exchanged a quick nod implying that everything had been cleared. The young man then looked up towards the sky, seeing two men disguised as BSAA soldiers come forth and wave as a signal to move on. The so-called Micheal turned towards the truck, waving them forward as he moved out of the way. The gate slowly opened allowing the trucks to go through. The driver nodded at the man in front of them, he then turned to knock on the tin wall behind him.

The sound resonated through the metal block, signaling all twelve men resting on the benches along the walls. Everyone of them was dressed in black from head to toe. Newly modeled gas masks with blackened visors hiding their identities under a large black helmet. Their vest, while bullet proof, also carried four extra magazines for their assault rifles, plus a knife, and some men even had small explosives hooked to their belts. Each man conformed to the other, like a super soldier prepared for any battle. Unlike any other soldiers, their phantom identities hid the their most human of features. No one went by name, there was the captain whom always lead the front line, but placement was the only factor that let him stand out from the rest of the faceless abyss.

The only one who stood out was a single person sitting at the very end of the truck with her head bowed and eyes closed. She too was dressed in all black, from her boots to her tank top. From her neck dangled a red pendant, that swayed with the rattling of the truck. Upon hearing the signal, she slowly raised her head and opened her eyes, meeting the glares of several armed men.

"Miss Wong," beckoned a nasally tone muffled by the mask. Ada turned to look at the man, her eyes meeting the soullessness of the visor.

"Yes," she answered flatly, trying her best to seem like she cared what the man had to say.

" Do you wish for one of my men to accompany you and protect you?"

Ada laughed under her breath, the corners of her rosy lips turning up subtly. She looked away from him, her grin disappearing into the pallid tone of her skin. "That's not the orders you were given, Soldier," she answered.

"I know, but I would hate to send you on your own."

Ada shook her head in disappointment. The man obviously had no idea who she was, of course not many people had the pleasure to. She couldn't blame the man for his lack of information. The mask made them all look inhuman, like a doll with no identity, no life, just the face of a creature. But Ada knew that behind that exterior was a man, and with any man she had learned that he always wanted some dainty flower to entice his ego. Behind that visor were eyes that only saw a petite woman, with the body of a ballet dancer, and skin as smooth as marble. He saw a woman who took care of herself, maybe even rewarded her body with the occasional pampering. Someone who you take out to dinner, not into battle.

"I can hold my own. One of your men would just slow me down," she retorted while giving him a sideways glance. All at once the vehicle came to a stop, the sound of the engine hissing as it shut off echoing into the storage car.

"This is where we get off," the captain announced as he watched her slide on her black leather gloves and grab the grappling hook and a small pistol below the bench. She didn't plan on needing any bullets, but just like any other mission she always had the gun snapped into the holster on her hip. Just in case she was in need of desperate measures. She pushed open the back door, sliding on a pair of sunglasses to shield her eyes from the brilliance of the sun. She lazily leaped off the back of the truck, her heels sinking lightly into the lush green grass the truck driver had no problem bulldozing over. For a moment she took in her surrounding as the black figures poured out of the back and readying their gear around her. She could see the short distance between the truck and the main gate, in case she needed to ditch the squad and escape off the side of the mountain. She played the entire thing in her head, reviewing the details to ensure it's success.

" Miss Wong?" Ada turned in the direction of the familiar voice. A blank expression meeting an even blanker one. She inhaled in annoyance, just subtly enough that the man didn't really notice. Not that he would truly be offended by the gesture either way. The rolling of her eyes behind her sunglasses was a different story.

" Yes, Captain?"

" You remember the directions you were given? You are not to confront anyone, and you will only fire your gun if in direct line of danger. Nothing should stand in your way. You are here to get in and get out." Ada smirked at the captain as he sternly noted her guidelines for the mission, but she knew that he was setting the foundation of his authority like the alpha male of a wolf pack keeping all his drones in check. Ada bowed her head and took a couple of haphazard steps towards him, planting her feet firmly in front of him.

"Yeah, I remember." she answered smoothly before looking up at the tall man and placing her hands on her hips.

"I also remember that you were ordered to follow me. Not the other way around. So, if you do please put a leash on your masculinity and act like there are more important things than your pride," she snapped, although she hid her ferocity around a seductive tone, just so he would keep his mouth shut about it. Which he did without question. She smirked at him, continuing to walk around the truck.

" Let's go," he ordered the others with a wave of his hand as they swiftly followed after her.

As Ada made her way towards the side entrance of the lab, she recalled the entire conversation she had about this with the man in his office. It played in her head like an informational debriefing video. She picked through every part of it, ensuring that her ears heard every last detail, the very scene playing out through a photographic memory.

* * *

The man sitting there in his desk, leaned back in his tall office chair that shielded him from the blue light from the empty fish tank that covered the entire back wall. He was nothing but an apparition that looked as if he were a creature melded with the leather of the seat. His hand hung out to the side, his elbow propped against the armrest comfortably. The cigar was just as black as his gracefully curled fingers surrounding it, but the light illuminated the online of the sweet peach scent of the smoke that hung over the large space and clung boldly with anything it came in contact with. The surface of the desk was bare expect for the solitary stout glass that was half filled with a sort of transparent liquid, either water or perhaps vodka, a drink she thought was strange to leisurely sip on while in a private meeting with a hired assassin. Though every other figure in the room, including the to large body guards standing on either side of their boss was engulfed in darkness, Ada on the other hand was standing in plain sight from head to toe, a situation that was instantly uncomfortable. It was a vulnerability she knew was carefully planned out. His discrete nature, was not just because of his taste in abstract decor.

The figure's hand moved towards the pit of black at the center of the desk and within a few seconds a small crooked circle brightened in the middle of the structured black shape, before it became evanescent. The hand appeared in the light once more reaching for the surface of the desk as the figure tapped the cigar lightly and returned it to it's originally place to his side.

" Need I review it again?" the figure asked with a resonating and low tone before repeating the gestures to inhale another hit off his cigar. Ada crossed her arms, straightening her once awkward slumping shoulders and her chin up higher. " Only if you enjoy hearing your own voice. I'd hate to take that pleasure from you." The figure answered in a dark and teasing chuckle, one that reminded her of Wesker's halfhearted laugh he adopted when he was victor of one of his twisted games. The comparison brought on a chill that climbed slowly up the curve of her spine, but like a trained liar she hid the sensation through shifting her weight slowly to one hip. " Alright, I understand you've heard it a million times now, but I assure you that it does some good."

" Sounds like something a man would say when he's experienced too many failures." The leather of the chair creaked as the figure shifted uncomfortably in the silence. It was pleasing to her to hear the offense in the way he moved and now they were on the same playing field. Instead of this man successfully imitating one of the cruelest men she had ever known, he was now humanized even within his shadowy disguise.

" Enough to know how to prevent failures."

"Well, you should take comfort in knowing that you're first step to prevention was hiring me," she argued confidently.

A chuckle rose from the black once more. " I'm aware. I am willing to let you do your job if you will allow me the chance to do mine, Miss Wong." Ada shifted to the other hip again with impatience. Nothing about her was patient, she was an action person with enough logic and experience to know how to devise a plan within a few seconds. Making elaborate plans wasn't her style. Things never went they way you wanted them to and setting up plans that failed only planted the seeds for logic stumping frustration. All she needed to know was her way around, that was her strategy every time. That's how she kept calm in the face of mole hills that could jeopardize even the most monstrous of plans.

With her silence the man cleared his throat, the creaking of the chair hinting that he was relaxing against it now.

* * *

The wave of black marching figures clashed against the stark white of the walls, following behind the slim feminine figure that led them to their destination. The door at the end of the hall came into her sight, she stopped letting the sea of soldiers split around her, only to meet again to engulf her body like the start of a disappearing act. The first line of men came to a stop a few feet from the double doors. Two men continued forward, while the first row of men took a knee and readied their guns by their faces. The other two, kneeling on either side of the door, pressing their backs firmly against the white. The petite euro-asian woman peeked through the gaps between the soldiers, seeing one man rise from the formation. The captain, she noted, judging by his tall structure and the way his shoulders swayed arrogantly. The figure's neck bent at the middle, tossing his face up towards the ceiling to study the walls for any cracks or leaks. It didn't take long for his trained eye to land on the black dot placed just above the door. A abnormality Ada had seen before she even stopped to let the men pass.

With ease, the captain brought the sight of his rifle to his face. Calmly inhaling a breath before he took his shot. It was dead on and silent. The only sound to be heard was the collision of metal hitting glass. Though silent on their end, the two BSAA guards on the other side of the camera, ordered to watch the entrances with their lives, were alerted by the large group of unidentified men. It only ensured their suspicion when they watched the man take a shot at the camera and put it out.

The lights in the hall went out, being replaced with a red flashing emergency light. The alarm's scream echoing through hallway and bounce off the walls. Ada could feel the men around her stiffen in alert, clenching tightly curled fingers around their rifles. Yet she kept her eyes on the captain whose body shook in a silent laughter.

"Looks like they know we're here boys," the captain hollered over the alarm, a few men reacting with a small nervous cackle. The comment was enough to make Ada roll her eyes, she was getting tired of these military types.

Jake sat idly by in the chair, flexing his muscles in his arm to bring the feeling back into the tendons. When they said they needed a lot of blood, they really meant it. Dr. Holtz held the vile in her hand, twirling it around in a small circle to watch her career slosh in front of her eyes in subtle awe.

A sudden sound of a generator dying in a agonizing exhale broke her from her trance moving in the crimson in the vile. The lights had gone out and were soon replaced with the dreaded flashing of red. It caused everyone to stop in their tracks. Every one of them, patient, doctors, agents alike, looked around the room like frightened animals looking for their predators. Sherry glanced over at Leon, whom only stared up towards the flashing light in subtle confusion.

" That can't be good," she muttered. "Should we go check it out?"

Leon was too engrossed in his own thoughts to listen to Sherry, but her question was answered when his feet led him towards the door. Both female agents following at his heels. All three of them opened the double doors into the main lab, their trained eyes looking for the cause of the alarm.

Within the few seconds they had been standing there, the door on the right side of the room was kicked open with the force of three men, all baring guns and scanning with the barrels around the room. A few startled screams could be heard from the workers down below, some scurried in panic and others were glued to their spots in fear. Sherry stared wide eyes as the soldiers dressed in black spilled into the lab one by one. Yelling out orders to stand down and threatening to shoot.

"This isn't good," Leon uttered blatantly, but before the young blonde agent could answer she was backing up towards the door. Her eyes glued on them until she finally turned around to run back into the lab.

* * *

**Yeah, guess whose an asshole for saying the next chapter would be out in a week and then getting the next chapter out almost two months later. I had a story change that depended on how this chapter turned out, not to mention finals and the semester ending. Then there's dreaded writer's block. But I said last time no excuses so I'll make you a promise to not promise dates for chapter updates. I'm terrible at meeting them and well, I don't like letting you guys down. Hopefully, now that summer started I can actually get this story done. Unless my friends start trying to coax me out into the real world. *shudders***

**I hope that one spot between the memory and the present situation didn't get too fuzzy. It wasn't the simplest thing, but I wanted to do it that way. . . because I felt like it. **

**Anyways, thanks for following, adding this to your favorites, and reviewing. Most of all thank you for being patient with me and I hope this was worth the wait. Don't be shy I want to know if this story is still good or going down hill, so reviews would be greatly appreciated. Until next time, which will hopefully be sooner rather than later.**


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